Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, Program II

New York City Center130 West 56th Street(Audience Entrance is on West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues)(Entrance for Studios and Offices is on West 56th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues)New York, NY 10019212.247.0430

NEW YORK CITY CENTER PRESENTSSecond Annual Season of MORPHOSES/THE WHEELDON COMPANYIncludes U.S. Premieres by Christopher Wheeldon and Emily MolnarWorks by Lightfoot León and Sir Frederick AshtonAccompanied by Orchestra of St. Luke'sTyler Angle, Gonzalo Garcia, Craig Hall, Maria Kowroski, Edwaard Liang and Wendy Whelan to PerformOctober 1 – 5, 2008

New York, New York, October 1, 2008 - New York City Center will present the secondannual season of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, October 1 – 5, 2008, featuringworks by Artistic Director Christopher Wheeldon, including the U.S. premiere ofCommedia, co-commissioned by New York City Center and Sadler's Wells Theatre,London. Also featured will be a U.S. premiere of Six Fold Illuminate, a new work byCanadian choreographer Emily Molnar as well as works by Lightfoot León and SirFrederick Ashton. As of October 2, the Company will also present the New YorkPremiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's One, which will replace Frederick Ashton'sThe Dream Pas De Deux.

The company will perform to live music each evening, including performances with fullorchestra comprised of members of the Orchestra of St. Luke's, led by Alan Pierson.Leading dancers from major U.S. and European ballet companies will once again jointhe company, including Tyler Angle, Leanne Benjamin, Gonzalo Garcia, Craig Hall,Maria Kowroski, Edwaard Liang, Tiler Peck, Teresa Reichlen, Edward Watson, WendyWhelan and others.

U.S. PREMIERESThe U.S. premiere of Commedia, Christopher Wheeldon's newest work for eightdancers, with music by Igor Stravinsky, will have its world premiere in September atSadler's Wells Theatre, London. About his new piece, Mr. Wheeldon said, "Inanticipation of next year's Ballets Russes centenary, I will create a new ballet toPulcinella Suite by Igor Stravinsky, with designs by the vibrant and creative IsabelToledo."

Emily Molnar's new piece, Six Fold Illuminate, has costumes by designer NarcisoRodriguez, set to the music of Steve Reich's Variations for Winds, Strings andKeyboards (1979) and will also debut in September at Sadler's Wells. Molnar wasnamed as one of Canada's "new generation of ballet sensations" (Maclean's Magazine)and works as both a choreographer and solo artist. She is a former member of TheNational Ballet of Canada and Frankfurt Ballet, under director William Forsythe,and was a principal dancer with Ballet British Columbia.

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOAAnnabelle Lopez Ochoa's One has been added to the schedule. The piece had itspremiere at the Dance Salad Festival in Houston, Texas in March, 2008, with music byJacob Ter Vedhuis, will be performed by Morphoses dancers Drew Jacoby and RubinaldPronk.

LIGHTFOOT LEÓNLightfoot León's Shutters Shut (2003) features two dancers in a four-minute ballet setto a poem by Gertrude Stein. Paul Lightfoot and Sol León met as dancers with NederlandsDans Theatre in 1987. Since the beginning of their collaboration in 1991, they havecreated over thirty ballets for NDT. Paul Lightfoot and Sol León were named residentchoreographers of the Nederlands Dans Theater in its 2002 season.

WHEELDON REPERTOIREChristopher Wheeldon describes Polyphonia, choreographed in 2001 to ten eclecticpiano pieces by Ligeti, as "romantic with comic twists." Created for four couples,its brief sections run the choreographic spectrum from the neoclassic to playful duets,anchored by dynamic opening and closing ensembles filled with twisting turns, jabs andquirky hard movements. Fools' Paradise, which premiered during Morphoses' inauguralseason in 2007 to great acclaim, is a work for nine dancers set to The Dying Swan scoreby contemporary composer Joby Talbot.

Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company was formed by Christopher Wheeldon in 2007 tobroaden the scope of contemporary classical ballet by marrying dance, music, visual artand design. The company is Guest Resident Company at both New York City Centerand at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London. Christopher Wheeldon is Associate Artist ofSadler's Wells Theatre.

American Express is the lead sponsor of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company at NewYork City Center and a proud sponsor of the Company's transatlantic season at Sadler'sWells Theatre, London. New York City Center also gratefully acknowledges the generoussupport of The Rockefeller Foundation for the presentation of Morphoses/The WheeldonCompany at New York City Center.

New York City Center has long been known and beloved by New York audiences notonly as one of the City's preeminent performing art institutions but also as anaccessible and welcoming venue for dance and theater. New York City Center producesthe Tonyhonored Encores! musical theater series and its new Encores! Summer Stars series,and is home to some of the country's leading dance companies including Alvin AileyAmerican Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company andMorphoses/The Wheeldon Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club, one of NewYork's leading theater companies. Continuing to fulfill its mission to make the artsaccessible to the broadest possible audience, in 2004 New York City Center launchedthe acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival. In 2006, New York City Center and Sadler'sWells Theatre, London created a partnership to facilitate the exchange of innovativedance works, and new commissions by up-and-coming and acclaimed choreographersand dance companies, both in London and New York City.

Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company will play for six performances, October 1 - 5, atNew York City Center, West 55th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, according to thefollowing schedule: Wednesday, October 1 at 7pm (Gala), Thursday, October 2 at 8pm,Friday October 3 at 8pm, Saturday, October 4 at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday, October 5at 3pm. Tickets are $30, $60, $85 and $110 and can be purchased by callingCityTix® at 212-581-1212, online at www.NYCityCenter.org or at the City CenterBox Office (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues).

Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company dancers appear courtesy of New York City Ballet,The Royal Ballet and Norwegian National Ballet.